Can I deduct charitable donations with the standard deduction for 2025 taxes?
Title: Can I deduct charitable donations with the standard deduction for 2025 taxes? 1 I'm trying to figure out something about charitable donations for the upcoming tax year (2025, not the taxes I'm filing now). Are donations to charity still tax deductible if I take the standard deduction? I'm single and don't own a home, so I don't think I qualify for itemizing deductions. I'm planning to donate around $1,300 to various charities this year and wondering if these donations would still be tax deductible or help my refund when I file my 2025 taxes next year?
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Dmitry Petrov
15 Unfortunately, for the 2025 tax year, you cannot deduct charitable donations if you take the standard deduction. The temporary provision that allowed taxpayers to deduct a portion of charitable donations while taking the standard deduction expired after the 2021 tax year and hasn't been renewed. To deduct charitable donations, you would need to itemize deductions on Schedule A, which only makes sense if your total itemized deductions (including charitable donations, mortgage interest, state and local taxes up to $10,000, and qualifying medical expenses) exceed your standard deduction. For 2025, the standard deduction for single filers is projected to be around $14,000, so your $1,300 in donations alone wouldn't be enough to make itemizing worthwhile. That said, donations are still worthwhile for the charitable impact, even without the tax benefit!
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Dmitry Petrov
•8 Does this mean there's absolutely no way to get any tax benefit from my donations unless I have enough other deductions to make itemizing worth it? What about donating stocks or other non-cash items? Are there different rules for those?
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Dmitry Petrov
•15 For federal taxes, that's correct - there's currently no way to deduct charitable donations if you take the standard deduction. The threshold for itemizing is quite high for most single taxpayers without mortgage interest. Regarding stocks and non-cash donations, the same rules apply - you'd need to itemize to deduct their value. However, donating appreciated stocks does have a separate benefit: you avoid paying capital gains tax on the appreciation. This isn't a deduction per se, but it does reduce your overall tax burden if you were planning to sell those stocks anyway.
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Dmitry Petrov
4 Hey there! I was in basically the same situation last year - single, standard deduction, wanted to donate about $1500 to charities. I was super frustrated when I learned I couldn't deduct anything because I was taking the standard deduction. Then I found this AI tool called taxr.ai that completely changed my tax strategy. The site https://taxr.ai analyzed my specific situation and showed me several ways to still get tax benefits while donating. For example, it suggested bunching my donations (making two years' worth in a single year) so I could itemize every other year. It also showed me how to use a Donor Advised Fund which I never knew about before. Now I'm saving on taxes AND donating more effectively!
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Dmitry Petrov
•12 That sounds interesting. Does it work for self-employed people too? I donate to several charities but also run a small business, so my tax situation is more complicated than most.
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Dmitry Petrov
•17 I'm a bit skeptical. What exactly does this tool do that TurboTax or a regular accountant doesn't already tell you? Is it just general advice or does it actually look at your specific numbers?
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Dmitry Petrov
•4 Yes, it's actually even more powerful for self-employed people! It identifies deductions specific to your business type and helps optimize your charitable giving strategy alongside your business expenses for maximum tax efficiency. For your question about how it differs from TurboTax or an accountant - it's more proactive and strategic. TurboTax mostly processes what you've already done, while taxr.ai helps you plan ahead. It looks at your specific numbers and circumstances to suggest tax strategies before you make financial decisions. My accountant charges by the hour, so getting this kind of strategic planning would cost hundreds, but taxr.ai gave me similar advice for much less.
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Dmitry Petrov
12 Just wanted to follow up - I tried https://taxr.ai after seeing this thread and WOW! As a small business owner, it identified three deductions I was completely missing and showed me how to structure my charitable giving through my business for maximum benefit. The tool analyzed my specific situation and created a custom tax strategy that will save me about $2,800 this year! Way more comprehensive than what my tax software has been suggesting. Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to maximize charitable deductions.
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Dmitry Petrov
6 If you're frustrated about not being able to reach the IRS to ask questions about charitable deductions (I spent HOURS on hold), try Claimyr. It literally got me through to an IRS agent in under 15 minutes after I had tried for days on my own. I used https://claimyr.com and it worked exactly like shown in their demo video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with explained exactly how to handle my charitable donations situation and confirmed that I could partially deduct some of my volunteering expenses even with the standard deduction. Would never have known this without actually speaking to someone!
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Dmitry Petrov
•17 Wait, how does this even work? The IRS phone system is notorious for long wait times. Are you saying this service somehow jumps the queue or something? That sounds too good to be true.
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Dmitry Petrov
•9 I'm extremely skeptical. Why would I pay a service for something I should be able to do myself for free? This sounds like a scam to profit off people's frustration with the IRS.
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Dmitry Petrov
•6 It doesn't jump the queue - it uses an automated system that continually calls and navigates the IRS phone tree until it gets through. When a line opens up, it connects you directly. It's the same as if you kept calling over and over until you got through, just automated so you don't have to waste your time. Regarding paying for something that should be free - I totally get that sentiment. But after spending 6+ hours over 3 days trying to get through with no success, the time savings was absolutely worth it to me. Think about what your time is worth - for me, not spending hours on hold was worth every penny.
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Dmitry Petrov
9 I have to eat my words here. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try Claimyr just to prove it wouldn't work. I was genuinely shocked when I was talking to an actual IRS agent 12 minutes later. The agent helped me understand exactly how my volunteer expenses related to charity work could be deducted even with the standard deduction (something about unreimbursed volunteer expenses). I've been doing my taxes wrong for years! Sometimes it's worth investing a little to save a lot - both time and money.
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Dmitry Petrov
3 Something else to consider - check your state tax rules! Even though federal taxes don't allow charitable deductions with the standard deduction, some states do. For example, Colorado allows a partial deduction for charitable contributions even if you take the standard deduction on your federal return. Might be worth looking into depending on where you live.
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Dmitry Petrov
•10 Which states allow this? I'm in Michigan and wondering if we have similar benefits. I donate about $2000 a year but never itemize.
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Dmitry Petrov
•3 Colorado, Arizona, and Minnesota definitely allow some form of charitable deduction even with the standard deduction. Michigan, unfortunately, doesn't have this provision as far as I know. Each state has different rules and limits - for example, in Colorado you can deduct amounts over $500, while Arizona lets you take specific dollar-for-dollar tax credits for certain types of charities. These are always changing though, so it's worth checking your state's department of revenue website for the most current information.
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Dmitry Petrov
18 Has anyone tried bunching their donations? My tax guy suggested I donate 2 years worth in one year so I could itemize, then take the standard deduction the next year. Seems like a hassle but might be worth it if you're donating substantial amounts.
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Dmitry Petrov
•5 I've done this for the past 4 years and it works great! In even-numbered years I donate around $5000 and itemize, then in odd-numbered years I donate nothing and take the standard deduction. You need to plan which charities are okay with this pattern though. Some smaller organizations really depend on consistent annual support.
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Miguel Hernández
14 Another strategy worth considering is using a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) if you're planning to donate regularly over several years. You can contribute a larger lump sum in a year when you itemize (getting the full tax deduction), then distribute grants to your favorite charities over multiple years from the fund. For example, if you normally donate $1,300 annually, you could contribute $2,600-$3,900 to a DAF in one year, itemize that year, then make your charitable grants from the fund over the next 2-3 years while taking the standard deduction. Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard all offer DAFs with relatively low minimums ($5,000 or less). This gives you more flexibility than the bunching strategy since you're not locked into a rigid every-other-year pattern.
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Tasia Synder
•That's a really smart approach! I hadn't heard of Donor Advised Funds before. Do you know if there are any restrictions on which charities you can donate to from a DAF? Also, are there any fees associated with these funds that might eat into the donations? With only $1,300 annually, I want to make sure most of it actually goes to the charities rather than administrative costs.
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